9 Home Experts Share Their Top 3 Tips for Maintaining Hardwood Floors

One could never go wrong with hardwood flooring. It is timeless and classic, and adds warmth to any room. But with it also comes the taxing task of keeping the surface shiny and undamaged. With different elements it is exposed to everyday, how do you actually maintain well-polished hardwood flooring over the years? Well, you’re in for a treat as we’ve reached out to 9 home design, housekeeping, and cleaning experts and asked for their top 3 tips for cleaning and maintaining hardwood floors!

Clean Mama

Don’t wear shoes in the house.

Sweep or vacuum as needed or at least weekly.

Use a microfiber pad to wash your hardwood floors.

About the Expert

Clean Mama is a cleaning and homekeeping expert who loves helping her readers discover new and fun ways to do everyday tasks of keeping a tidy home. She is the author of the books Simply Clean, Touchstone (Simon & Schuster), March 2017, and The Organically Clean Home, Adams Media, 2014. She is also a wife and mom to three, a business owner, and a former art teacher.

Clean and Scentsible

Leave your shoes at the door.

Do a little daily maintenance.

Watch out for the pets.

About the Expert

Jenn of Clean and Scentsible is a part-time pediatric physiotherapist, a wife, mom of two boys, and a homemaker. She enjoys decorating, crafting, and organizing. Her blog began in July 2010 as a way for her to showcase some of her favorite Norwex and Scentsy products, eventually it became an outlet for her to be creative and to inspire. She loves to make her house feel like a home and shares her tips and experience in her blog.

One Good Thing

Take your shoes off.

Get rid of dirt and grime with a vacuum or dust mop before you attempt to wash a wood floor.

For occasional deep cleaning (dirt, oil, and grime will build up over time), the best solution for cleaning wood floors is one cup vinegar mixed with one gallon of water.

About the Expert

One Good Thing creator Jillee is the author of One Good Life. Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, she was a TV News reporter in North Dakota and had spent 5 years producing Good Things Utah at KTVX-TV before she started blogging. Her blog projects include cleaning, cooking, baking, gardening, crafts, home decorating, organizing, and money-saving.

Better Decorating Bible

For a natural hardwood flooring cleaner, mix 1 part water, 1 part vinegar, 1 part rubbing alcohol, 1 tablespoon of dishwashing detergent and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Then using a mop, wipe up your floors for gleaming, super clean, and lovely smelling flooring.

Do not keep your floors wet for long, make sure to wipe them up and dry them as good as you can to avoid water damage. Do not wash them often – vacuuming or dusting is enough to keep them looking great.

Avoid installing hardwood floors just because they may be trendy in the bathroom or on the kitchen. Lots of traffic and water prone areas are a disaster for hardwood floors. Stick to wood-like tiles or laminate flooring.

About the Expert

An avid DIY-er, Suzy Cacic is the creator of Better Decorating Bible where she shares home tours, easy DIY projects, and tips on getting a look for less. She has her own iTunes fashion app, Flipshion, and is part of Pop Sugar Select Home team. Suzy’s work has been featured in multiple online and print publications such as The Today Show, Houzz.com, Abode Magazine, The Toronto Sun, among others. She also runs other blogs, Better Baking Bible and Better Housekeeper.

Masshole Mommy

Wash floor with Murphy’s Oil soap once a week

Don’t walk on them with shoes

About the Expert

Based in New England, Robin of Masshole Mommy is a work at home mom, stepmom, and wife. She actively volunteers at her children’s schools and sees to it that she introduces her kids to as many new experiences as possible. She enjoys travelling and photography. Masshole Mommy is where she shares great food finds, fun family activities, and home organization.

In My Own Style

Make sure to have door mats by every door that enters the house. This way anyone entering can wipe their shoes off which will lessen dirt, leaves and other outdoor debris from entering the house.

Use mop on a regular basis. These make cleaning the floor super easy and they add just the right amount of cleaner/water to the floor. Other mops allow too much water to get on the floor which is not a good thing for the wood. Bonus: Kids have fun using these mops so they won’t think it a chore if you ask them to help you clean the floor.

Place felt furniture glides on all furniture legs, especially kitchen and dining chairs that you use on a daily basis. Adding these will prevent wear marks from happening on the floor from repetitive use. They are inexpensive and easy to simply stick or nail on to each leg. I like the felt-style glider pads the best, as I find the plastic-style tend to leave marks on the floor.

About the Expert

Diane started In My Own Style in 2009 in suburban Philadelphia. She graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology and has an extensive experience being a display designer and interior designer. She has published a book in the 1990s, Instant Decorating, and had demonstrated projects from it on TV. My Own Style features home décor ideas, craft projects, travels, and organizing. Diane commits to sharing budget-friendly tips and ideas that transform a house. She is a mother and a wife.

My Thirty Spot

Never use a lot of liquid or water to clean your hardwood floors, it can absorb the water and they can warp over time. If you are going to mop your floors, wring out your mop until it is just damp and you should be good to go.

A perfect cloth to clean your wood floors is a cloth diaper. It can be used dry or damp for the perfect fabric to clean and absorb dirt.

If it is possible, try not to wear shoes on your wood floors. Dirt can scratch your floors and grime can make them so dirty.

About the Expert

Erin Kennedy is the editor of My Thirty Spot, a lifestyle blog dedicated for women in their 30s. Here, she shares tips and stories on beauty, fashion, anti-aging, money, motherhood, relationships, health, diet, and recipes. She inspires women to always feel young, smart, and sexy through her stories.

Adorable Home

Vacuum using the bare floor setting and/or dust with a dry microfiber mop at least once a week! Do not use damp-mop or steam cleaner!

Wipe up spills immediately and use ice to harden unwanted substances like candle wax or chewing gum, and then remove them by gently scraping with a plastic scraper.

To keep your hardwood floor shiny and in top condition consider screening or refinishing it, but always consult with a professional first.

About the Expert

Founder and editor-in-chief of Adorable Home, Lynn started the blog in 2012 as a personal project. Today, Adorable Home has a whole team dedicated to bring inspiration with the finest and most popular interior designs, decor trends, and architectural achievements. The online digital interior design and architecture magazine features home tours, home decors, styling and advice.

The Road to Domestication

Dry mop daily to keep things easy.

Don’t be afraid to try out several cleaners until you find one you’re really comfy with.

Use small felt stickies on the legs of all furniture so scratches are prevented.

About the Expert

The Road to Domestication was created by Kristen. Her posts focus on projects, home businesses, organization, crafting, travel, cooking, baking, and anything kitchen-related. She is a fulltime marketing director for an insurance agency and runs a photography and promotional business on the side. She is a wife and a mother who enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Preserving a hardwood floor takes conscious effort but with the right tender loving care, the right equipment, and knowing some general mopping tips, it would become very easy. Make sure to get only the most suitable cleaning material that your floor deserves!